Future astronauts may be able to pull water and oxygen from lunar soil

If there are two things that are essential to human life, they’re water and oxygen – neither of which are easily available on the moon. Thanks to a new technique, though, astronauts may someday be able to harvest those elements from lunar soil.Continue… Continue reading Future astronauts may be able to pull water and oxygen from lunar soil

Chinese astronauts return after a record-breaking 90 days in space

In another landmark moment for China’s fledgling space exploration program, three astronauts sent to work on the country’s under-development space station safely returned to Earth on Friday, after spending three months in orbit. Their successful touchd… Continue reading Chinese astronauts return after a record-breaking 90 days in space

Revised FAA rules put Branson and Bezos’ astronaut wings in doubt

Are Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos astronauts? Though both billionaires flew to at least the edge of space, they may not qualify for official astronaut wings. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released revised rules for its Commercial Sp… Continue reading Revised FAA rules put Branson and Bezos’ astronaut wings in doubt

Taikonauts take first spacewalk outside China’s new space station

China’s ambitious space program has taken another step forward, with crew aboard the Tiangong space station conducting the mission’s first spacewalk and the first for the nation in 13 years. The pair of Chinese astronauts, or taikonauts, successfully t… Continue reading Taikonauts take first spacewalk outside China’s new space station

82-year-old Mercury 13 member to go on first New Shepard flight

Blue Origin has announced that 82-year-old space pioneer Mary Wallace “Wally” Funk will fill the fourth seat on New Shepard’s first passenger flight on July 20, 2021. A participant in the 1960s Woman in Space program, she will be the oldest person to e… Continue reading 82-year-old Mercury 13 member to go on first New Shepard flight

Zero Gravity Fridge for astronauts shows promise in microgravity

Today’s astronauts are able to survive largely on freeze-dried, canned and dehydrated foods, but there are limitations in both nutrition and flavor to these dietary regimes. Refrigeration in space is a complex engineering challenge but one that would c… Continue reading Zero Gravity Fridge for astronauts shows promise in microgravity

Cognitive problems could result from long space missions in zero gravity

With long space missions a real prospect in the near future, scientists are trying to find novel ways to mitigate the negative impacts of reduced gravity on the human body. A compelling new study led by a team from the University of Pennsylvania is sug… Continue reading Cognitive problems could result from long space missions in zero gravity

Spacefaring flies shed light on heart defect caused by microgravity

The results of a new study in which fruit flies were flown to the International Space Station (ISS) and back could help develop treatments designed to keep astronauts’ hearts healthy on long-haul missions to Mars.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, Scienc… Continue reading Spacefaring flies shed light on heart defect caused by microgravity

Hackaday Links: October 25, 2020

Siglent has been making pretty big inroads into the mid-range test equipment market, with the manufacturers instruments popping up on benches all over the place. Saulius Lukse, of Kurokesu fame, found himself in possession of a Siglent SPD3303X programmable power supply, which looks like a really nice unit, at least …read more

Continue reading Hackaday Links: October 25, 2020

NASA’s Perseverance rover to test future spacesuit materials on Mars

When NASA’s Perseverance rover touches down on Mars in February 2021, it will carry with it the first-ever spacesuit samples to land on the Red Planet. The materials will be exposed to the brutal high-radiation environment to test how future astronaut-… Continue reading NASA’s Perseverance rover to test future spacesuit materials on Mars